HYDERABAD: The South Central Railway (SCR) recently claimed that the punctuality rate of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) trains was 91%. However, on the ground reality tells a different story.Passengers and members of MMTS Travellers Group allege that most trains run 15-20 minutes late.A visit to MMTS stations in Begumpet and Secunderabad revealed that passengers are often caught unawares because of the trains running late. “I take the same route daily to reach office. MMTS trains are often delayed by 15-20 minutes and one can’t depend on them to reach office on time. I start early, at least by 45 minutes. Whenever there is an express train on the tracks, passengers of MMTS trains are kept waiting. Sometimes, I use local passenger trains to avoid delay,” said Lalit, a resident of Chandanagar.At least 121 MMTS trains that are run on the 42-km stretch from Lingampalli, Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Falaknuma have an average ridership of 1.7 lakh passengers per day. Announcements of arrivals and departures of MMTS trains are either not made or they are inconsistent at many stations in the city, except Secunderabad and Lingampally.K Vijayaraghavan of MMTS Travellers Group said, “Currently, exorbitant amounts are being levied as parking fee at Secunderabad station and other stations under the purview of Secunderabad and Hyderabad railway division . The monthly parking charge for two-wheelers at Secunderabad is Rs 700 plus GST, which is way beyond the cost of a monthly season ticket for MMTS.”SCR chief public relations officer Ch. Rakesh said, “The punctuality rate of MMTS services currently stands at 91%. Punctuality of these trains is also monitored at the headquarters level by ensuring proper inter-departmental coordination to improve the same. Also, works for enhancing the MMTS coach maintenance shed facilities at Moula Ali are in progress to reduce the idling time of the MMTS coaches.”MMTS Travellers Group also demanded combined rail tickets and bus passes for MMTS trains, which is currently available for general and ordinary train services. The group also demanded reservation of space for senior citizens in MMTS cars and more services in the morning and evening peak hours between Falaknuma and other areas.Passengers also said that the HYLITES (Hyderabad Live Train Enquiry System) app of SCR does not show the real-time of train arrivals and departures and majority of the reviews on Google Playstore say that the app does not show the accurate location of the train.SCR officials say that a dedicated line for MMTS is the only solution to the punctuality issue. “During the morning and evening peak hours, local MMTS trains are given preference rather than long-distance express trains and passenger trains and the signalling system is automatic,” said a SCR official.

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